HOME RULE BILL.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume XXXIII, Issue 8411, 13 November 1912, Page 5

HOME RULE BILL.

—♦■ — \ THE MINISTERIAL DEFEAT.

; NOT A " DEATH-BLOW. 1' THE COURSE- TO BE FOLLOWED. (Per Press Association—Copyright.) LONDON, November 12. An official''statement says.that tin Government does not regard the vote as involving any modification of then programme, and will take steps tc ascertain the real opinion of tht House. The division was <on a motion not even put on the Order Paper, but communicated in manuscript without notice, and overthrew t a resolution adopted in the Committee stage on Thursday. ' The statement adds that the Premier, in a recent speech at Lady bank, intimated that he would not allow his course to be affected by a snap division. The Government majorities, since the. discussion started, have sel 7 dom been below one hundred". Cabinet sat for two hours, and meets again to-day. ' Mr Asquith to-day moves the rejection of the resolution as amended by Sir F. Banbury's motion.' Sir Robert Finlay, speaking at Bethnal Green, said the Government had fared badly on a crucial question. Before the division, the PostmasterGeneral declared that were it conceivable that the motion could be carried, it would knock the bottom, out of the Bill. Sir Rot>ert-,,Fi,nlay hoped -that Mr Samuel's statement would prove to be right. Lord^ Robert Cecil, speaking at Bermondsey, said the Government's defeat was its death blow. Viscount Peel, speaking at Taunton, predicted that the Government would continue for some weeks longer its broken, discredited existence." 1 Its prestige was gone, and its doohv -already threatningi " The Times," quoting Erskine., May's "Parliamentary Practice," shows that the Government must propose another financial resolution differing from the original proposals, also that it is necessary to revise or discharge the closure resolution, allotting yesterday for the commencement of the consideration of clause 14. The closure resolution, as it stands, does not afford an opportunity bo amend the financial resolution, and the Government is placed in a position of unparalleled difficulty. (Received November 13, 10.55 a.m.) LONDON, November 12. Mr Asquith (Prime Minister) has given, notice for to-morrow to rescind 3ir F. Banbury's amendment. Mr Redmond (leader of the Irish Party) h,as issued a statement, that svhile not disguising the danger respecting £ho Banbury incident, he explains that the absence of many liberals and Nationalists was due to a false' sense of security' created by recent large majorities. , ' (Received November 13, 12.35 p.m.) Mr Wm. O'Brien, interviewed, said bhe Government had brought, the trouble'on themselves. Instead of admitting, with the Royal Commission of 1896 and the Primroses' Committee experts,' th at Ireland xwas grossly overtaxed, the Government was contending that Ireland owes England £2.000,000 per year. The Unionists had seized en this contention, and raised an alarm. Mr O'Brien also stated: "We offer to accept any temporary arrangement as an experiment, to be revisable :^ the end of five years." i.. V .